Electrical connectors are checked for electrical continuity through the use of a check fixture which places the terminal openings in an end surface of the connector in alignment with a set of contact pins, called “POGO” pins, which are held in a pin nest. The geometric arrangement of pins in the nest matches the geometric arrangement of terminal openings in the end surface of the connector. A typical check fixture is provided with a lever which can be rotated to urge the connector toward the contact pin nest or vice versa such that the contact pins make electrical contact with internal terminals in the connector. If all of the terminals are properly in place and properly wired, electrical continuity is established through the connector and contact pins to an indicator which passes or fails the connector according to the results of the test. A fixture of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,043 issued Dec. 2, 1997 to Yazaki Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
It is difficult and expensive to manufacture the prior art pin nests and to arrange the “POGO” pins as contact members in the pin nests so as to properly align with the arrangement of terminal openings in the connector under test. The POGO pins, in addition to being expensive components in and of themselves, create additional electrical contact interfaces in the check fixture which add to electrical losses and can result in false indications of missing terminals.